Last week the NY Times took a closer look at the role of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Notorious, the film documenting the life of Christopher Wallace. The movie is also an homage to the neighborhood, and the paper notes that "these very locations, inspired the frank rhymes that made him the Notorious B.I.G." Below is an old clip of Biggie in Bed-Stuy at age 17, allegedly it's from "his first public rap duel." more ›

The Brooklyn rapper-turned-actor Jamal Woolard (also known as Gravy) is getting a bad rap. According to the NY Post the 33-year-old, who plays Biggie Smalls in Notorious, "was busted last year for allegedly slapping his wife inside their East New York home." He was charged on September 14th, 2008 with misdemeanor assault, menacing and harassment when his wife Trina Younger called the cops on him. Woolard, who once did a Hot 97 interview while shot in the butt, admitted to the crime—and his wife admitted to daring him to hit her. However, Younger's mother insists: "He's not like that. That's impossible. I think it's made up. He's a loving husband and I never heard of anything like that before in my life." In a recent New Yorker interview, Woolard said his life with Trina and their baby was "love and greatness." more ›

Much like the tragic story that had just been seen on screen, an afterparty for the opening night of Notorious turned violent Friday when four men were stabbed inside a Brooklyn nightclub. A chaotic scene emerged as one clubgoer described it, "I didn't know what happened, but whenever people start screaming and running out of a club it means someone either has a gun or a knife, and I wasn't going to stick around to find out which it was." more ›

A rather lackluster batch of new movies are being dumped this week, which is okay because so many must-sees opened around the holidays that there's plenty of catching up to do. (Gran Torino, The Wrestler and Waltz With Bashir, for starters.) Anyway, click the images for more on this week's stinkers.
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Notorious is on the big screen, and everyone in the shadow of the late rapper is starting to speak out. Well, at least Lil Kim is—who allegedly hasn't even seen the movie (but read an early script). She said in a statement: "The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line. Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry his legacy through my hard work and music." She also said in an interview that she "believed Big's wife, Faith Evans, and his mother, Voletta Wallace, were behind the snub." In return, Biggie's mom declared: "This is not a Lil Kim movie. This is a Christopher Wallace movie. It has nothing to do with Lil Kim. If she's disappointed and upset, that is her problem." The AP has video from the film, and talks to some of the people involved. more ›

It's been over a year since the casting took place for the Notorious B.I.G. movie, aptly called Notorious (much of it was filmed in Biggie's home borough of Brooklyn), and now the biopic is about to hit the big screen. Rolling Stone has the details on the soundtrack, and you can catch the movie yourself in theaters starting January 16th (the New York premiere was last night). Watch the trailer after the jump (listen up for this quote: "What kind of grown-ass man calls himself Puffy?"). more ›